SAN ANTONIO -- The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team battled through adversity to emerge victorious over McNeese in a thrilling, five-set match at the McDermott Center on Saturday morning. The win improves the Cardinals' record to 6-8 in conference play, while securing a season sweep over McNeese.
 
NOTABLES

• Sophomore outside hitter Julia Monday led the team, for the second consecutive match, with 16 kills. Her .361 attack percentage was the best among both teams from an attacker with more than five attempts.
• Freshman Bethany Clapp secured her sixth double-double of the season, and the fourth in her last five matches (15 kills, 14 digs).
• Junior middle blocker Allison Waits made a huge contribution in her first start of the season, posting a career-high 12 kills and a pair of blocks.
• Senior middle blocker Maddie Slaughter posted seven kills and finished tied for the team lead with three blocks.
• Freshman middle blocker Carissa McGarity played in only two sets, but also managed to block three McNeese attacks.
• Freshman setter Pilar Gonzaba shared duties with fellow freshman Kendall Kilchrist. The duo finished with 45 assists between them, with Gonzaba leading the way with 25.
• Junior right side hitter Cameron Taylor led the team with three aces. She now owns 13 aces this season.
• Sophomore libero Madelynn Miller led the team on defense with 16 digs. She has recorded 10-or-more digs in each of her last eight matches.
• Sophomore defensive specialist Alyssa Carlin delivered 13 digs for the defense as well.

 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (23-25) | With heavy postseason implications riding on the match, both teams came out with high intensity. Each attacked the other with powerful hitting and relentless defending. In total, the opening set was tied 21 different times, but, with the score tied, 23-23, the Cowgirls captured back-to-back points to secure the set. Waits led the team with four kills.
 
SET 2 (25-22) | McNeese maintained its intensity in the second set, taking a 17-13 lead. Just as it seemed the Cowgirls had control, however, Taylor took the ball to serve. Three aces and seven-straight Cardinal points later, UIW held a 20-17 advantage. The Cardinals held on to that three-point lead to snatch the set victory away from McNeese. Monday led the team with five kills in the set. Taylor finished with three aces and two digs as well.
 
SET 3 (22-25) | In another hotly contested set, McNeese seemed to have an answer for every Cardinal run. UIW held the lead for the majority of the set, leading by as much as six points at times. McNeese stayed close, however, and eventually took a 22-21 lead, which it rode it to a three-point set victory. Monday and Waits led the team with four kills each. 
 
SET 4 (27-25) | An already close match got even closer in the fourth set. UIW jumped out to another small lead, 15-12, and McNeese responded with an 8-1 run to make the score 16-20. Eventually, UIW clawed its way back -- behind some powerful hitting from Clapp and Slaughter -- to tie the score at 21. After continuous back-and-forth play, a kill from Monday gave UIW a set point, which Slaughter and Kilchrist capitalized on by delivering a critical block to win the set and force a fifth set. Clapp and Monday led the team with four kills each in the set.
 
SET 5 (15-6) | With postseason hopes on the line, UIW saved its best play for the fifth set. The Cardinals jumped out to an 8-2 lead behind an ace from Gonzaba and kills from Clapp, McGarity and Waits. From there, the Cardinals played sound defense and avoided errors to secure their second five-set victory of the season and second such win in the last four matches.
  
HEAR FROM COACH DABBS
"It was a great opportunity for us. We got to play in front of our alums. It was a great crowd, and it was great to remind our alums how much fun it is to be a UIW Cardinal. Then to play the way we did and win in five, it's very exciting. It was a great win.
 
"In the last set, we realized we needed to play grittier. We made some adjustments in our blocking scheme and it worked in our favor. We took the opportunities that were presented to us and capitalized on them by staying aggressive.
 
"We're two games closer to making a spot in the tournament. This team is showing up every day in practice and getting after it. We're playing with the energy and intensity that we need to keep moving forward."
 
UP NEXT
The Cardinals begin their final week of the regular season on Tuesday when they travel to Houston to play Texas Southern at 6 p.m. (CT). The remaining three matches in the season-ending stretch will be a pair of home matches with heavy postseason implications: Thursday at 7 p.m. against HBU and Saturday at noon against Texas A&M-CC.
 

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